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Egypt's Sisi, UK PM Sunak Agree Need to Avoid Contagion of Conflict in Middle East

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt Sunday Oct. 15, 2023. (Reuters)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt Sunday Oct. 15, 2023. (Reuters)
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Egypt's Sisi, UK PM Sunak Agree Need to Avoid Contagion of Conflict in Middle East

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt Sunday Oct. 15, 2023. (Reuters)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt Sunday Oct. 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed on Friday that global leaders should do everything possible to avoid a contagion of conflict in the Middle East, Sunak's office said.

Sunak also welcomed efforts by Egypt to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Gaza as soon as possible, his office said following a meeting between the pair in Cairo.

Sunak later met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo and underscored the need for aid to be allowed into Gaza and for Hamas and Israel to avoid civilian casualties in their conflict, Sunak's office said.

"The Prime Minister expressed his deep condolences for the loss of civilian lives in Gaza ... The leaders agreed on the need for all parties to take steps to protect civilians," Sunak's office said in a statement following the meeting.

"The Prime Minister underscored his commitment to opening up humanitarian access to Gaza," the statement added.

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US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)

American journalist Austin Tice is believed to be still alive, according to the head of an international aid group.

Nizar Zakka, who runs the Hostage Aid Worldwide organization, said there has never been any proof that Tice, who has been missing since 2012, is dead.

He told reporters in Damascus on Tuesday that Tice was alive in January and being held by the authorities of ousted Bashar al-Assad. He added that US President Joe Biden said in August that Tice was alive.

Zakka said Tice was transferred between security agencies over the past 12 years, including in an area where Iranian-backed fighters were operating.

Asked if it was possible Tice had been taken out of the country, Zakka said Assad most likely kept him in Syria as a potential bargaining chip.

Biden said Dec. 8 that his administration believed Tice was alive and was committed to bringing him home, though he also acknowledged that “we have no direct evidence” of his status.